First off, I am SOOO sorry you haven't been able to hear from me for a while. It is always busy during transfer week. Plus, the computer at the church died and we had to find somewhere else to do emails. No worries, we've found a place!
I haven't gotten any packages, but if you haven't gotten my letters yet it must mean the post is being slow....like always.
So the last few weeks have been kinda crazy! Me and Elder Porter have really been trying to figure out how to help this branch. We've prayed and studied it out during our recent planning sessions. We even brought it up in interviews with President. We have felt impressed to change gears a little bit. We have started doing a lot more work with the less active and trying to strengthen our branch's members. A lot of people have been offended by the leadership of this branch and many amies struggle, and have struggled ,with it as well. However, the leadership right now is stellar and we've felt it is time for people to start coming to church!!!!
So the last few weeks have been kinda crazy! Me and Elder Porter have really been trying to figure out how to help this branch. We've prayed and studied it out during our recent planning sessions. We even brought it up in interviews with President. We have felt impressed to change gears a little bit. We have started doing a lot more work with the less active and trying to strengthen our branch's members. A lot of people have been offended by the leadership of this branch and many amies struggle, and have struggled ,with it as well. However, the leadership right now is stellar and we've felt it is time for people to start coming to church!!!!
First miracle of the week. A less active family that we've been seeing on and off since I have been here, the Goldings. They are an English family that has had MANY trials and difficulties. The wife, Natile, is the only member of the Church. She was married once before, and had two sons, Andrew and James. She is now married to Nil and has two adorable daughters ages 5 (Rebecca) and 13 (Nina). They remind me a ton of Rachel and Natty!
Every member of the family had grown SUPER ANTI church for ages. They didn't even allow missionaries to pray, let alone share messages with them. But, they always had a special bond with us, because the missionaries have helped them in their times of difficulty. However, after 3 or so months they have really started to open up to us and share why they have had a hard time with God, the church, and life. Let's just say that this family has been through alot! I cannot describe or even have the right to really share all of the things they've been through. I know that God loves them very much because I have grown to see them the way God sees them! Natily and her 13 year daughter Nina have even been open enough to listen to short little lessons and they want to start coming to church! I love this family!
Every member of the family had grown SUPER ANTI church for ages. They didn't even allow missionaries to pray, let alone share messages with them. But, they always had a special bond with us, because the missionaries have helped them in their times of difficulty. However, after 3 or so months they have really started to open up to us and share why they have had a hard time with God, the church, and life. Let's just say that this family has been through alot! I cannot describe or even have the right to really share all of the things they've been through. I know that God loves them very much because I have grown to see them the way God sees them! Natily and her 13 year daughter Nina have even been open enough to listen to short little lessons and they want to start coming to church! I love this family!
Rebecca is killing me though, because she makes me miss Natty! She loves to play cache cache (hide and seek) with me and play with her little pet shop toys. She told her mom that I was her favorite. She is literally attached to me, and won't let me leave when we have to go! God works in interesting ways.
At first I didn't really know if spending too much time with this wonderful family was where we should be focused. But I have felt like just loving and serving them has really been beneficial to them, and very surprisingly, opened up teaching opportunities for us!
In other news ,we have been able to get a hold of Tia again. We really hit hard on the idea of what faith is. We have established that she believes in God and all of the lessons that she has been taught. We have had a hard time deciphering how interested she is in pursuing that belief and transitioning that belief into faith, because there is a HUGE difference between faith and belief. For example, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. If someone is knowledgeable they can recite all the traffic laws in different countries and know that they should be kept for his own safety, but he isn't wise until the moment he applies those principles to himself and obeys those laws. So, belief is to faith. Faith is vivified living belief! Faith is action and obedience to the principles of the gospel. We explained all of this to Tia, and told her that if she is to really learn about Christ, (as she has expressed her desire to do so), then she needs to do simple acts of faith. Things like, praying and reading the scriptures and coming to church every week (all things she has struggled with doing consistently). She understood very well, and expressed that at first she didn't really know the difference between faith and belief. I think this will help out alot? We shall see!
In other news ,we have been able to get a hold of Tia again. We really hit hard on the idea of what faith is. We have established that she believes in God and all of the lessons that she has been taught. We have had a hard time deciphering how interested she is in pursuing that belief and transitioning that belief into faith, because there is a HUGE difference between faith and belief. For example, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. If someone is knowledgeable they can recite all the traffic laws in different countries and know that they should be kept for his own safety, but he isn't wise until the moment he applies those principles to himself and obeys those laws. So, belief is to faith. Faith is vivified living belief! Faith is action and obedience to the principles of the gospel. We explained all of this to Tia, and told her that if she is to really learn about Christ, (as she has expressed her desire to do so), then she needs to do simple acts of faith. Things like, praying and reading the scriptures and coming to church every week (all things she has struggled with doing consistently). She understood very well, and expressed that at first she didn't really know the difference between faith and belief. I think this will help out alot? We shall see!
Well, I love you lot's and I am soo sorry that emails ...well basically sucked for awhile! I love and appreciate everything you do for me and can't wait to talk to you Sunday!!!!!! I have to go because I need to email Tao and see how he's doing. JE VOUS AIME !!!!! Elder Lyons
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